


A Wintertide Mystery

by MattTheDragon001



Category: Postknight (Video Game)
Genre: One Shot, Original work - Freeform, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28126593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MattTheDragon001/pseuds/MattTheDragon001
Summary: Wintertide has come, and Arthuric and some fellow Postknights are headed to Caldemount to obtain the necessary foodstuffs. But when they arrive, they find themselves in the midst of a mysterious spate of robberies. Just who is poisoning the Wintertide spirit? Arthuric and co. aim to find out!





	A Wintertide Mystery

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short one shot I wrote for Christmas. Also ties in to my other Postknight fic.

It was winter, and Arthuric and some other postknights were braving a blizzard on his way to Caldemount. As they struggled through the snow, he patted his pocket to make sure his list was still in there. It was.

As the annual Postknight Wintertide Feastival rolled around, Arthuric, along with some of the other first-year postknights, had been sent to collect the foodstuffs for the feast, as was per tradition. The feast this year was to be at the Blue Whale Inn in Shello Bay, courtesy of Mina. Arthuric had been chosen as the group’s leader.

Finally, the exhausted group arrived at the gates of Caldemount. After clearing the Caldemount customs, they gathered in the main city square to delegate the work.

“Whew! Am I glad to be out of that blizzard.” This came from Postknight Silver. The purple-haired, gray-eyed Silver was a large Qurinus postknight. Well muscled and built like a battering ram, Silver was one of the most promising of the Heavies of the Postknights. Despite his fearsome physique, Silver was affable and well liked by his peers and senior officers alike. Almost no one called him by his given name, as he preferred to be called “Silv.” “Alright, Arty. What do we need to get?” he asked.

Arthuric consulted his list. “According to this, we need to get five crates of Ameranne wine, two tons of mutton, one ton of roast beefs, three Calverton cheeses, ten jars of Caspid honey, three crates of the special Mistrinn Festive Ale, thirteen turkeys, six sacks of potatoes, onions, and turnips, separately, four crates of Turstis Farm Milk, seven chickens, twelve bars of luncheon meats, twenty Vestra Blueberry Pies, three large Wintertide puddings, five tons of assorted salads, and three large Wintertide Vanillin Cakes, preferably with five tiers each.”

“Is that it?’ asked Postknight Miira dryly. A green-haired, amber-eyed Shello Bay postknight of a slender build, Miira was known at the Postknight Academy for two things: her sharp tongue and her prowess with a Anodian blade. “In that case, I’ll get the mutton and cheese.”

“I’ll get the Festive Ale and the milk.” said Postknight Cole. A dark haired, lean, bespectacled postknight from Tisna, his shining green irises hid an sharp mind. Cole was known for using his mind in battle to locate an opponent’s weak spots and then neutralizing them. As a result, he’d graduated from the Postknight Academy with a Double Major in Combat.

“Leave the pies and the honey to me.” said Postknight Kurun. A well-built, turquoise-eyed postknight from Pasir Aurumus, his white hair contrasted sharply with his tanned skin. He was one of Arthuric’s old friends from the Academy, and Arthuric knew him to be reliable and trustworthy. In addition, Kurun was a skilled Sand Elementalist.

“I guess I’ll get the potatoes, onions and turnips then!” said Postknight Laira. Known equally for her love of practical jokes as well as her skill at Magitech, the blue-haired, brown-eyed Eradisan postknight was equally hated and liked by everyone around her. If you weren’t the target of one of her jokes, you were usually laughing along with her.

“I’ll take the cakes and turkeys.” said Postknight Sivilyin. A tall, blonde, gold-eyed Kyrenius postknight, Sivilyin was the best unarmed combat specialist in her generation. She was also skilled with a bow and arrow, and was known to be capable of hitting targets twenty meters accurately with her specially built Sniper Crossbow.

“I’ll get the chickens, salads and the luncheon meats.” said Silver.

“I guess I’ll take the puddings.” said Postknight Tedric. Arthuric’s best friend, the little postknight was one of Arthuric’s staunchest allies.

“And I’ll get the wine and the beef.” said Arthuric. “Meet back here in three hours, even if you haven’t managed to find everything we need. Alright, let’s move. Remember, you have three hours.”

Arthuric headed over to the Rosavern to get his supplies. Entering the tavern, he saw Dahlia frantically turning out the bar. As he approached, she noticed him and said in surprise: “Arthuric? What’re you doing here?”

“I’m here to get some foodstuffs for the annual Postknight Wintertide Feastival.” Arthuric explained. “I need five crates of Ameranne Wine and one ton of roast beef. Do you have those?”

Dahlia shook her head. “We had those things… but they’ve all mysteriously disappeared, along with most other stock. The Rosavern’s still operating, but we only have a limited amount of stock. Apparently, most other stores and shops in town were struck, too. Some new stock’s coming in later today, you can get your stuff then. Sorry if this inconviences you. ”

Arthuric assured her that it wouldn’t be a problem. However, when he met up with the other postknights, he found that Dahlia’s rumours had been a complete understatement. Most stuff in town had gone missing, but the shopkeepers had new stock coming in at the latest tomorrow. This was a great relief to all the postknights. In addition, many houses in Kurestal had been struck too, but the things stolen from those houses were of quite a variety, ranging from jewellery to floor mats to toothbrushes.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Miira, but her question was answered by a messenger dashing into the city square and belting out at the top of his lungs:

“The merchants have been forced to turn back by heavy snow! No deliveries this Wintertide!”

Arthuric was horrified, and the looks on the faces of his comrades indicated that they felt the same.

Cole muttered several unprintable statements, mainly directed at the unknown thief’s parentage and the timing of the weather. “What do we do now? We’ve got a four day deadline and no more. And with the way things are, we can give up on finding the foodstuffs, unless one of us manages to find something that tells us where all the food’s gone to!”

“Good idea!” Sivilyin said. “We can ask around and try to find clues. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something that leads us to the thief and the food!”

“And everything else stolen.” added Kurun.

After a brief consultation between the group, the idea was agreed upon, and the postknights set off. As it was getting dark, the postknights regrouped at the decided meeting place, just outside the Rosavern.

“The shopkeepers I asked said that the stock vanished sometime during the night, over the course of a few days ago. There was some water left on the floor, but it wasn’t enough to give a lead.” said Laira.

“One of the shopkeepers I asked found a huge hole in the back of his storeroom. The wall was made of wood, and it looked like it wasn’t smashed in, but cut away.” said Cole.

“I managed to find out that the stock that vanished did so gradually. The stock vanished in pieces, but not so little that it wasn’t noticeable.” said Kurun.

“I had a look around, and I realised that most of the shops had something in common. They all had drains nearby.” said Tedric.

“Drains? That’s common in all big cities, Tedric. And they’re sealed as well.” scoffed Miira. “At least we found out more than you.”

“Don’t be like that, Miira.” Arthuric chided. “The drains are sealed for reasons, they keep the stink in and stop people from falling in. I noticed the same thing that Tedric did, and I learned that the drains are fairly wide. A small person could walk upright with ease in there. This is because the drains were built to avoid floods.”

“So you’re saying that the drains might be used as route of escape?” asked Sivilyin.

“If you could tolerate the stink, yes.” confirmed Arthuric. “Silv, what’d you find out?”

“Much the same as the rest of you, except that one of the shopkeepers I spoke to was fairly certain that the drains were the escape route. She heard a commotion downstairs, and went to investigate. She saw a group of small creatures disappearing into the drains, carrying away a load of her stock. She was unable to pursue, because she didn’t dare to enter the drains by herself at night.”

“I see. Who was the shopkeeper?” asked Cole.

“Camellia, of Cyrus Commerce, just down the street. Right about…there.” Silver pointed.

“Did you get a description of the creatures?” asked Tedric.

“Unfortunately, no. Ms. Camellia was quite busy taking stock of her inventory. I didn’t want to take up too much of her time.”

“I’m on good terms with Camellia.” Arthuric said. “I can ask her tomorrow.”

“That’s right, you were posted here once, right?” said Kurun. “As I recall, you made quite a name for us postknights here.”

“Yes, yes, he did.” said Miira. “Anyway, where should we stay for the night?”

“I got rooms for us at the Rosavern, over there.” said Arthuric, indicating the tavern. “Come on, and Dahlia’ll show you to your rooms.”

The next morning, when Arthuric woke up, he automatically reached out for his mail sack, which he always kept next to his bed. His hand met nothing but empty air.

Springing from his bed, Arthuric frantically searched his room, but came up empty-handed. To make things worse, his shield had vanished as well, though his helmet and dagger were still hanging on the wall. As he hurried downstairs, he met his fellow postknights, bar Tedric, heading down to the inn. Each of them was missing their shields, mail sacks, and in the case of Cole and Sivilyin, helmets as well.

“The thief has struck again.” noted Dahlia when she saw them. She was manning the bar.

“Darn right.” groaned Kurun. “What in the name of Umbrara would they need with our gear? Shields don’t go for much in any place with a good blacksmith, and any place that doesn’t generally doesn’t need them in the first place!”

“And no one in Prism would buy a Postknight’s mail sack.” added Laira.

Tedric walked in, joining his comrades at the table. His mail sack and shield were missing, but he still had his helmet.

“I spoke to Camellia just now.” he said. “ I figured that since our equipment had vanished, we’d need a description fast. Unfortunately, the only description Camellia could give us was that the thieves were small and round. Ring a bell?”

“Reminds me of the Shello Bay Bloobs.” said Cole. “But they’re not native to this area of Kurestal, and unless someone brought some here, there’s no way there could be any here. Besides, the Bloobs only steal small stuff.”

Arthuric frowned. “I encountered some creatures that fit that description in the Fractured Forest once. They’re called Goos, and they stink. Literally. They seem to be made of some kind of diseased sewage. But like the Bloobs, they’re not native to these parts.”

“Hearing your description of them, I’m thanking Eolin for that.” commented Miira. shuddering. “Anyway, I think that these thieves steal whatever they see lying around, regardless of selling capability. Since they’re small, we can set a trap. Perhaps something like a box and a stick, but I wouldn’t know. That’s Laira’s thing.”

“Leave it to me!” said Laira. “I’ll set up a snare tonight in the inn, and we’ll see if we can’t catch those little thieves! I’ll use my helmet for bait.”

“That’s good.” said Silver. “In the meantime, let’s look around and see if we can’t pick up any clues.”

Leaving Laira to do her work, the postknights split up and searched around. As Arthuric searched, he saw that they weren’t the only people who’d been stolen from. Several houseowners and shopkeepers were taking stock of their belongings and sadly counting their losses.

That night, Arthuric, Laira and Silver hid in the darkened front room of the inn. Laira had done her work well. The only thing visible on the ground was the helmet.

As they waited, they started to nod off, but kept awake through pinching themselves and making whispered small talk. Suddenly, there was a noise at the door.

“Shh!” hissed Silver, crouching down on the ground. Arthuric and Laira followed suit. As they watched, a group of small, round creatures approached the helmet. The creatures reached out, picking up the helmet… and were instantly sealed into a scroll.

“YES!” cried Laira, punching the air.

Silver was grinning. “Bl__dy hell. I can’t believe it worked.”

Arthuric smiled. “We should probably go and check out just what these little things are.”

After sealing the doors, the three postknights activated the scroll. When the bright light faded, the creatures were visible.

Arthuric and Silver stared in disbelief. The creatures were made of a kind of hard wood, with four little legs underneath and a pair of arms. Laira picked one up, inspecting it.

“I’m no expert,” she said after a brief moment of inspection, “but I think these are homunculi cores. They’re a kind of living robot. In their full bodies, they revert to their original personality, but if the cores are extracted, as they are now, they can be reprogrammed to do anything.”

“That’s your specialty. Can you get them to bring us to whoever’s programming them to steal the food?” Silver asked.

“No problem. It won’t take me a second.” She giggled. “By the way, I didn’t think Silv had those words in his vocabulary.”

Silver grinned, acknowledging the point. Postknights were not actually supossed to swear, but no one bothered to enforce the rule so long as you didn’t do it on duty.

Laira worked swiftly, and before fifteen minutes were up she’d reprogrammed three of the little homunculi. “It’s not perfect, but now they’ll take us right back to their base, across the roads, as far as possible before it becomes really necessary to go underground, assuming it’s necessary… I hope not.”

“That’s good.” said Arthuric. “Let them off now, and we’ll follow behind. We meaning me and Silver. You’re going to wake up the others and bring them as reinforcements. Leave one of those three reprogrammed ones behind for you to follow. Let’s go, Sil.”

The two postknights set off, following the little homunculi cores. The homunculi led them out of the city and across fields, farmlands, and woods. After a while, Arthuric realized where they were going… the former base of the Cultist Leader, the now abandoned old South Temple.

Picking up the homunculi cores, Arthuric took Silver aside and explained the significance of the area.

“You think that the Cultist Leader could be active again?” asked Silver. “If he is, this could be a problem for us, if he’s as formidable as you say he is.”

“I do, and yes, he is.” said Arthuric. “However, if he’s here, he’s probably alone. Most of his acolytes and cultists were rounded up and jailed after Sir Kale took over. His power was directly linked to the amount of followers he had, so he should be weakened.”

“Should?” Silver raised an eyebrow.

“I was only guessing when I assumed that he relies on his followers for power. For all I know, he could be twice as strong as when we last crossed weapons. Besides, we don’t even know that he’s behind this. It could be an entirely different person.” warned Arthuric.

“That’s true…” noted Silver. “Alright, Arty, put the homunculi down and we’ll be on our way.”

After a short while, the homunculi, as Arthuric had predicted, arrived at the derelict South Temple and entered through a small hole in the walls. Since the duo couldn’t follow, the slipped around the the temple’s back door and entered from there.

As they entered, their eyes fell upon an astonishing sight. The temple’s interior was packed high with stolen goods, preserved well in arcane ice, and several full-sized homunculi guards were standing there. And in the center of the temple, sitting on a throne, was the Cultist Leader.

“Well, well… what do we have here?’ he sneered.

“We’ve come to take back those goods.” Silver said.

The Cultist Leader snorted. “Just the two of you? Don’t make me laugh! Your pink-haired friend may have defeated me the last time round, but not this time. I’m much stronger now. But I’ll feeling lenient, so I’ll cut you a deal… if you can defeat me, the goods are yours.”

“Done!” roared Silver. Drawing his warhammer, he charged at the Cultist Leader, but one of the homunculi guards blocked his strike. The homunculi shattered on impact, but just as quickly, its pieces began to come back together.

“What?” gasped Silver.

The Cultist Leader laughed. “Oh… did I forget to mention my guards are joining the fray too? They’re indestructible, so good luck with them! I’ll be here waiting, if you make it!”

With a growl, Silver swung his warhammer in large strokes, smashing homunculi left, right and centre. Drawing his dagger, Arthuric charged, cutting through several homunculi. One of them swung its fist at him, and he quickly blocked with his dagger. Even so, the force of the blow jarred his arm, numbing it.

Silver yelled in pain, and Arthuric turned to see him flying back into the remnants of a wall, which collapsed on top of him. Arthuric hurried to his side as Silver dug his way out of the rubble.

“Here, drink this.” Arthuric said, handing Silver a crystal potion from a hip pouch. Silver downed the contents in one gulp and sighed in relief as the potion’s effects healed his wounds. Arthuric could see a huge dent in his breastplate.

“They’re fragile, but strong.” growled Silver. “And they’re indestructible to boot. And with so many of them, we’ll never be able to break through. And to make things worse, when I accepted his challenge, I saw the doors seal themselves. Our only chance is to go directly for the Cultist Leader.”

“Got it.” Arthuric leveled his sword and charged. “Blitz!”

Arthuric’s sword blazed with a blue light, and his charge smashed straight through the opposing homunculi, all the way up to the Cultist Leader himself. As soon as the Cultist Leader was in striking range, Arthuric struck. “Quadrattack!”

Arthuric’s sword, now blazing with purple flames, slashed down at the Cultist Leader. The Cultist Leader blocked with his staff, but even so the attack still sliced through his throne despite the man himself not being affected. 

The Cultist Leader fired a blast at Arthuric, smashing him away into a wall. The impeact knocked Arthuric’s weapons from his hands, and his remaing pouches were hurled away. As the homunculi advanced, Silver attacked, smashing away the homunculi while shouting to Arthuric: “Are you alright?”

“No… I can’t feel my legs!” gasped Arthuric. Tendrils of dark magic swirled around his legs, immobilizing him and preventing him from using them. His equipment lay just out of range. Silver was fighting strongly, but he was tiring quickly. Sweat beaded his face.

“Is that all you can muster?” laughed the Cultist Master. “Impotent fools! This is your retribution for daring to attack the chosen one of the Dark Lord!”

“Yeah?”

As the Cultist Master turned to see who had spoken, a fast flying arrow caught him in the shoulder and blew him aside.

The doors smashed open, and the other postknights charged in. Laira hurled a small device on the floor of the temple, and the reassembling homunculi gave a shudder and fell still.

Kurun smashed his staff on the ground. “Quicksand Chasm: Open!” In response to his spell, the ground split open and the remaining homunculi fell in, where they futilely struggled to climb out.

The Cultist Leader was fighting Cole and Miira at once while Silvilyin sniped at him with her crossbow. The three postknights fought fiercely, but the Cultist Leader was managing to hold his own.

The Cultist Leader swept his staff at Cole, knocking him off his feet. He raised his staff to deal a finishing blow, but Miira slashed at him with her sword, forcing him off Cole. Silvilyin targeted his staff with an explosive arrow, but the Cultist Leader dodged and the arrow exploded against a wall instead.

Tedric ran to Silver and Arthuric’s side, holding a ruby potion to Arthuric’s lips. He swallowed the contents of the little bottle and felt his wounds heal. The tendrils of darkness slid off his legs and vanished. He could stand again.

“Let’s strike together. Our combined power should be sufficient to bring the Cultist Leader down.” ordered Arthuric. In response, Kurun raised his staff and Laira unsheathed her fusilblade. Tedric pulled out his swordblade.

The postknights charged at the Cultist Leader’s blind side, knocking him away. The Cultist Leader fired a gray beam of energy from his staff, but the postknights dodged it and fought on, pushing the Cultist Leader back.

Laira fired her fusilblade, and the iron bullet smashed into the Cultist Leader’s staff hand, causing him to drop it. Arthuric charged and crashed into the Cultist Leader with all the might his small frame could muster. The Cultist Leader toppled backwards, straight into a sand pit which Kurun opened. He immediately sank up to his chin, quite helpless.

“Impossible!” roared the Cultist Leader. But he calmed down almost immediately. “Okay, then. I’ve lost. The stuff’s yours. Bye!” A bead on his necklace gleamed with a black light, and the Cultist Leader vanished.

Just as the postknights were wondering where the Cultist Leader had gone, he appeared behind them and struck Kurun, Cole and Miira’s heads. The others turned when they heard the sounds, but it was too late.

The Cultist Leader’s hands glowed with dark energy, of which tendrils were curling around Kurun, Cole and Miira. Their eyes had turned black, and their skin had taken on an unsettling purple pallor.

“Now your friends are under my control. They’ll do anything I ask. You may have defeated me, but can you defeat your friends?” he challenged, laughing evilly.

Kurun raised his staff, and sands began to swirl around him, lifting him off the ground and encasing him in a massive sandy avatar. In response, Silvilyin nocked her bow and aimed it at the Cultist Leader, knowing that defeating him was the key to victory.

Cole and Miira raised their weapons, and Arthuric, Silver and Tedric readied theirs. Laira attached a small drive into her weapon, and it immediately enveloped her in sheets of steel. When the transformation finished, Laira was encased in a battle suit around the same size as Kurun’s avatar.

Kurun sent a wave of sand at Sivilyin, but Laira stepped in and negated the winds with her battle suit’s revolving motors. Tedric charged at Miira, but she blocked his attack and retaliated with a counterattack of hr own. Silver swung his hammer at Cole, but Cole ducked and the hammerhead samshed into a wall.

Meanwhile, Arthuric and Sivilyin faced off against the Cultist Leader. Despite being preoccupied with keeping up his control magic, the Cultist Leader held his own with verbal incantations which prevented Arthuric from landing a powerful blow on him. Sivilyin kept up a steady flow of arrows, but they seemed to have no effect on the big man.

As Arthuric fought, he noticed something. The pearls of the necklace around the Cultist Leader’s neck were glowing with a faint purple light, the exact same colour of their affected friends. Arthuric suspected that it was the weak point of the Cultist Leader, but try as he might, he couldn’t land a hit anywhere near the necklace.

Sudden;y, Arthuric had an idea. Retreating, he called out to Sivilyin.

“Silvilyin! Aim for the necklace!” Arthuric called out.

“Got it.” Sivilyin shifted her bow and aimed. “But you’ll have to keep him distracted enough for me to get a clear shot.”

“On it.” 

Arthuric attacked, using Blitz and Quadrattack for offense and Mirror Magic and Precise Barrier for defense. As he fought, he took note of the other battles raging around him.

Cole dodged away from Silver’s attacks and tapped him on his chest’s pressure point, immobilizing him. Laira blasted Kurun out of his avatar with an arm cannon, sending him flying into Cole and knocking them both out. Miira slashed at Tedric and gashed his upper arm, but he stepped in under her guard and knocked her sword from her hand before hilt-striking her so hard she collapsed.

Arthuric noticed all of this, even as he drew the Cultist Leader’s attention away from Sivilyin.

With an angry roar, the Cultist Leader fired a bolt of black energy at Arthuric, smashing him into a wall. At the same moment, Sivilyin fired her arrow, which snapped the string of the necklace. It fell to the floor and shattered.

Instantly, the purple colouration faded from Kurun, Cole and Miira. With a final growl of defiance, the Cultist Leader pointed at Arthuric. “You may have won now, but you can’t win forever. The Great Darkness will consume all.”

With that, he snatched his staff from the floor, and before anyone could stop him, vanished in a puff of purplish smoke.

The next day, the postknights returned to Shello Bay with their foodstuffs. The blizzard had died down, and the going was considerably easier. Laira and Kurun were arguing about their clash, while Cole, Sivilyin and Miira looked on with smiles on their faces. Tedric, however, was deep in conversation with Arthuric.

“About that last line the Cultist Leader said before he vanished… what do you think about it?” asked Tedric.

Arthuric looked grim. “The Great Darkness… it was in the Fractured Forest… or at least its emissaries were, though they didn’t know it. And more recently, there were… happenings.”

“What happened?” asked Tedric, his curiosity ignited.

Arthuric shook his head to clear it, then looked up ahead. Finally he sighed. “We still have a way to go before we reach Shello Bay, so I guess I’ll tell you. It happened during Hallowfest, when I’d been invited to Pompon to celebrate…”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
